Once upon
a time there was a man who looked and acted just like a holy man.
He wore nothing but rags, had long matted hair, and relied on a little
village to support him. But he was sneaky and tricky. He only pretended
to give up attachment to the everyday world. He was a phoney holy
man.

A wealthy man
living in the village wanted to earn merit by doing good deeds. So
he had a simple little temple built in the nearby forest for the holy
man to live in. He also fed him the finest foods from his own home.

He thought this
holy man with matted hair was sincere and good, one who would not
do anything unwholesome. Since he was afraid of bandits, he took his
family fortune of 100 gold coins to the little temple. He buried it
under the ground and said to the holy man, "Venerable one, please
look after this my family fortune."

The holy man replied,
"There's no need to worry about such things with people like
me. We holy ones have given up attachment to the ordinary world. We
have no greed or desire to obtain the possessions of others."

"Very well,
venerable one," said the man. He left thinking himself very wise
indeed, to trust such a good holy man.

However, the wicked
holy man thought, "Aha! This treasure of 100 gold coins is enough
for me to live on for the rest of my life! I will never have to work
or beg again!" So a few days later he dug up the gold and secretly
buried it near the roadside.

The next day he
went to the wealthy villager's home for lunch as usual. After eating
his fill he said, "Most honourable gentleman, I have lived here
supported by you for a long time. But holy ones who have given up
the world are not supposed to become too attached to one village or
supporter. It would make a holy man like me impure! Therefore, kindly
permit me to humbly go on my way."

The man pleaded
with him again and again not to go, but it was useless. "Go then,
venerable sir," he agreed at last. He went with him as far as
the boundary of the village and left him there.

After going on
a short way himself, the phoney holy man thought, "I must make
absolutely sure that stupid villager does not suspect me. He trusts
me so much that he will believe anything. So I will deceive him with
a clever trick!" He stuck a blade of dry grass in his matted
hair and went back.

When he saw him
returning, the wealthy villager asked, "Venerable one, why have
you come back?" He replied, "Dear friend, this blade of
grass from the thatched roof of your house has stuck in my hair. It
is most unwholesome and impure for a holy one such as myself to 'take
what is not given'."

The amazed villager
said, "Think nothing of it, your reverence. Please put it down
and continue on your way. Venerable ones such as you do not even take
a blade of grass that belongs to another. How marvellous! How exalted
you are, the purest of the holy. How lucky I was to be able to support
you!" More trusting than ever, he bowed respectfully and sent
him on his way again.

It just so happened
that the Enlightenment Being was living the life of a trader at that
time. He was in the midst of a trading trip when he stopped overnight
at the village. He had overheard the entire conversation between the
villager and the 'purest of the holy'. He thought, "That sounds
ridiculous! This man must have stolen something far more valuable
than the blade of dry grass he has made such a big show of returning
to its rightful owner."

The trader asked
the wealthy villager, "Friend, did you perhaps give anything
to this holy looking man for safekeeping?" "Yes friend,"
he replied, "I trusted him to guard my family fortune of 100
gold coins." "I advise you to go see if they are where you
left them," said the trader.

Suddenly worried,
he ran to the forest temple, dug up the ground, and found his treasure
gone. He ran back to the trader and said, "It has been stolen!"
"Friend," he replied, "No one but that so-called holy
man could have taken it. Let's catch him and get your treasure back."

They both chased
after him as fast as they could. When they caught up with him they
made him tell where he had hidden the money. They went to the hiding
place by the roadside and dug up the buried treasure.

Looking at the
gleaming gold the Bodhisatta said, "You hypocritical holy man.
You spoke well those beautiful words, admired by all, that one is
not to 'take what is not given'. You hesitated to leave with even
a blade of grass that didn't belong to you. But it was so easy for
you to steal a hundred gold coins!" After ridiculing the way
he had acted in this way, he advised him to change his ways for his
own good.